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Richard Keys' post about Michael Oliver following Liverpool's disallowed goal during their 3-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon has caused quite a stir. Whenever there’s a major talking point in the Premier League, the outspoken presenter is never far away, and this week has seen the beIN Sports figurehead fire more shots at a familiar target. The uproar centres on Virgil van Dijk’s equaliser, which was ruled out after Andrew Robertson was deemed to be offside and interfering with play - either by obstructing Gianluigi Donnarumma’s view of the ball or by attempting to play it. Yet, replays appeared to show neither was true. The decision to chalk off the goal completely disrupted Liverpool’s rhythm right before halftime, draining their momentum and handing City the upper hand, which they managed to take full advantage of, storming into a three-goal lead by the 63rd minute. It’s not the first time Oliver has been at the heart of a contentious call benefitting Man City. Both Liverpool and Arsenal supporters have previously accused him of showing bias, and Keys echoed that sentiment this weekend. The result proved pivotal in the title race - Liverpool now trail the leaders by eight points, while Pep Guardiola’s side sit just four behind heading into the international break. Richard Keys' Post Aimed At Michael Oliver Causes Stir All things considered, level-headed Liverpool supporters can probably appreciate the fact they deserved to lose on Sunday afternoon, with Jeremy Doku, in particular, running the show at the Etihad Stadium. But it doesn't make up for the fact that Oliver, on VAR duty, caused controversy once again, despite PGMOL insisting that he is their most experienced asset. Earlier in proceedings, he recommended an on-field review after Doku appeared to be brought down by Giorgi Mamrdashvili inside the box. Replays showed the Belgium international had left his leg out to cause minimal contact - an act that saw Georginio Rutter have a penalty decision overturned in an earlier kickoff. Those two decisions alone were enough to get a tune out of Keys, who wrote on X (see his post below): "It’s amazing how often [Michael] Oliver gets caught up in a City ‘drama’. Coincidence, I’m sure - but odd." Perhaps unsurprisingly, this isn’t the first time Keys has taken aim at Oliver. He also criticised the 40-year-old referee after Manchester City’s trip to Anfield back in March last year, when Oliver chose not to award Liverpool a penalty despite Jeremy Doku catching Alexis Mac Allister in the chest with his studs. On that occasion, the presenter claimed the referee “thinks he’s above reproach” and that “VAR is a waste of time when he’s on the pitch.” See his post from last year below: The worrying thing is that the criticism surrounding Oliver doesn’t appear to be purely academic. The facts about his career are striking: he has never sent off a Manchester City player with a straight red card and has shown them the fewest yellow cards of any team within the traditional ‘big six.’
